This is the first album recorded by multi-instrumental pioneer Yusef Lateef after he moved from Detroit to New York in 1959, and it marked a new level of depth and commitment in his playing. Exotic colorations are more fully integrated into the performances, and there is greater mobility in his work on flute and oboe. Whether swinging a Dvorák theme or giving a Middle Eastern edge to Ellingtonia, meditating his way through two originals for flute or humorously twisting an Al Jolson warhorse, Lateef the player is in superb form--and Lateef the bandleader also deserves a nod for his inclusion of then-newcomer Ron Carter’s striking cello in the supporting rhythm section.